A Legacy of Excellence
hall of fame
Thank you to Everyone who
Joined Us to Celebrate our 6th Class!
On the evening of Thursday October 13, 2022, we were excited to recognize the eight new members of our Hall of Fame with our Sailor family. Our honorees gathered in front of in the Robert B. Wentz Theater at 6:30pm to kick off a meet-and-greet hour with family and friends.
The ceremony commenced at 7:30pm with NHHS principal Dr. Sean Boulton, and then Laura DeSoto (Class of 1976 and Alumni co-President) served as MC. Three past honorees Dr. Joe Corbo, Mary Lyons, and James “Walkie” Ray introduced our new Hall of Fame class. Each of our “great eight” who spoke offered inspiration about how to create a life of meaning through service to others.
The Alumni inductees include:
John Altobelli Class of 1981, outstanding baseball coach
Paul Le Mat Class of 1963, Golden Globe winning actor
Debbe Pyle Magnusen Class of 1974, advocate for children
Raun Thorp Class of 1977, creative architect
David Ullman Class of 1964, champion sailor
Dr. John Vierling Class of 1963, groundbreaking liver doctor
The honored Faculty are:
Bill Burge, Biology & Marine Science teacher
Joe Robinson, Humanities teacher in 7 decades
It was a wonderful evening, and if you missed it, you can WATCH the event or see PHOTOS here:
Our Hall of Fame tradition began in June 2014, when the Newport Harbor High School Alumni Association inducted our first Class of Alumni and Faculty. We have recognized award-winning athletes, brave military personnel, ground-breaking scientists, public servants, artists, writers and actors, as well as beloved teachers, coaches, and administrators—all individuals who reflect our alma mater’s most cherished values of good citizenship and service to others.
We celebrated our previous Hall of Fame class in the Fall of 2019. You can see photos from that special night here:
Take a look at our past honorees for inspiration, and then let us know who you think should be included next time. We are always accepting nominations, so help us find excellent Alumni and Faculty. If you’ve nominated someone in the past, they are still on our list and continue to be under consideration.
How-to Nominate:
1) Read below to see who has already been honored
2) Read the nomination form and gather ALL the information needed
3) Fill in the form and submit (self-nominations are not accepted)
Each Hall of Fame ceremony has been unique, including a special moment our first year when Dr. Don Miyada, Class of 1942, returned to finally walk at graduation 72 years late. You won’t want to miss out, so make sure to sign up for our newsletter to be the first to hear about our next event!
FEATURED Hall of Fame Moment
Dr. Don Miyada (Class of 1942) began at Newport Harbor High School in 1938, unaware that in the next few years, world events would keep him from his graduation day. In the spring of 1942, Don Miyada and his family were sent to the Poston War Relocation Center, a Japanese Internment camp in Arizona. He treasured the NHHS diploma he received at Poston by mail, because many of his peers from other schools were not given their diplomas; however, he missed the opportunity to celebrate this accomplishment. When the Seniors of the Class of 2014 learned of Dr. Miyada’s story, they were so moved they decided to invite him to be a part of their own ceremony, and so right a decades-old wrong.
1st Class Inductees
Albert Irwin
Albert Irwin, Class of 1937, legendary athlete, educator and coach, was the first four year, five sport letterman (basketball...
George James
George James, renowned watercolor artist and Class of 1950, began his journey in art classes at NHHS...
MacGillivrays
Greg and Dr. Barbara Smith MacGillivray, innovative filmmakers and stewards of the environment, started...
Frank Marshall
Frank Marshall, Class of 1964, transformative power in the entertainment and sporting industries...
Misty May-Treanor
Misty May-Treanor, the greatest athlete in the history of beach volleyball, established her initial determination...
Dr. Miyada
Dr. Don Miyada, Class of 1942, accomplished professor and resilient patriot, arrived at NHHS in 1938, unaware...
Jim Newkirk
Jim Newkirk, outstanding athlete, philanthropist, and educator, began his life of community service at NHHS...
James Seely
James Seely, Rear Admiral US Navy, dauntless pilot and patriot, graduated from NHHS in 1950, as varsity in...
Anthony Zerbe
Anthony Zerbe, star of stage and screen, graduated from NHHS in 1954, and has spent more than fifty years passionately...
George Yardley
George Yardley, basketball legend, attended NHHS in the 1940s, where he dribbled his way across the courts that now...
Sidney Harold Davidson
Sidney Harold Davidson laid NHHS’s foundation of excellence as the school’s first principal. A graduate...
Webster J. Jones
Web Jones, outstanding educator and a founding father of NHHS’ Heritage Hall, was a leader on campus for...
Ruth Stoever Fleming
Ruth Stoever Fleming was NHHS’s first librarian in 1938, and worked tirelessly to bring quality visual art to...
Robert B. Wentz
Robert B. Wentz began his monumental career as a drama teacher at NHHS in 1947, after serving in the US Army as...
2nd Class Inductees
Maria Arena Bell
Maria Arena Bell, Class of 1981, writer, producer, community leader, began her path to success at NHHS. She wrote for the...
Dr. Joseph C. Corbo
Dr. Joseph C. Corbo, Class of 1986, ground-breaking scientist and linguist, sparked his sense of discovery at NHHS. He threw...
David Emmes
David Emmes, Class of 1957, actor, director, founder, discovered his love of theatre at NHHS in the Senior play. He...
A.G. Kawamura
A.G. Kawamura, Class of 1974, global agricultural leader, planted the seeds of his future service by acting as Junior...
Aaron Peirsol
Aaron Peirsol, Class of 2002, international swimming champion, set NHHS and international records. He...
James “Walkie” Ray
James “Walkie” Ray, Class of 1963, builder, philanthropist, community visionary, began the foundation for his...
Bob Rogers
Bob Rogers, Class of 1968, filmmaker, inventor, master story-teller, launched his career at NHHS by co-writing and...
Gregg Schwenk
Gregg Schwenk, Class of 1986, entrepreneur, film aficionado, educator, began leading at NHHS as class President...
Steve Timmons
Steve Timmons, Class of 1977, three-time Olympic medalist in Volleyball, inspired coaches and peers on the NHHS...
Irene Worth
Irene Worth, Class of 1933, actress of stage, screen, and radio, arrived at NHHS as Harriet Abrams. She delighted...
Bill Barnett
Bill Barnett, revered Water Polo coach, began his unprecedented 49 years at NHHS in 1966. At Fullerton College and...
B. Roscine Feeley
B. Roscine Feeley, inspiring English teacher and art lover, arrived at NHHS in the early 1940s. She grew up in...
Fabian Giroux
Fabian Giroux, life-changing History teacher and consummate intellectual, joined NHHS in 1961. A Canadian immigrant...
Dennis O’Hern
Dennis O’Hern, stimulating teacher and globe-trekker, arrived at NHHS in 1965, after earning degrees at OCC and...
Donald J. Ulander
Donald J. Ulander, patriot and educational pioneer, served our country in the US Marine Corps from 1946-55. In China...
3rd Class Inductees
Stuart Cooper
Stuart Cooper, Class of 1960, thought-provoking actor and director, discovered a lifetime of artistic inspiration in...
E. Gene Crain
E. Gene Crain, Class of 1951, world-class art collector and philanthropist, excelled on the NHHS Baseball team as...
Marshall “Duffy” Duffield
Marshall “Duffy” Duffield, Class of 1970, inventive nautical engineer, made a difference on the NHHS Football...